Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death in the United States. It is a risk factor for many types of cancer, can cause infertility, and quadruples the risk of developing osteoarthritis.
Weight Loss Treatment
Can Obesity Be Treated?
Yes. Obesity is a disease, and it is a treatable one. Even though the statistics on people successfully losing weight with diet and exercise alone can be disheartening, there is hope. Bariatric surgery is the only truly successful way to treat morbid obesity and its associated health effects.
“Bariatric surgery is the most effective therapy available for morbid obesity and can result in improvement or complete resolution of obesity comorbidities.”
The National Institutes of Health
Does Bariatric Surgery Really Work?
Yes. There is no treatment that works for every person, but bariatric surgeries like the gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, and Lap Band have been proven successful.
What Are The Treatment Options?
There is a wide variety of ways to lose weight, beginning with making diet and exercise changes. While lifestyle alone will allow someone to lose a little weight, generally it is not realistic to treat obesity and its related comorbidities, just through diet.
There are now prescription medications available for weight loss, but these have limited effect and generally result in loss of about 5% of someone’s weight. For people with obesity, a weight loss in the 5% range is generally not enough.
The treatment options that bariatric surgery offers are the ones that are known to result in substantial weight loss for many patients. These options are:
Weight Loss Balloon
The weight loss balloon is a non-surgical option. These balloons are a temporary device that is placed in the stomach for up to 6 months. Over this 6 month period, you’ll work with doctors to make the lifestyle changes that work in conjunction with the balloon to give you a good chance of losing 25 – 70 pounds.
Lap Band
The Lap Band, or adjustable gastric band surgery, is a minimally invasive surgery where a flexible ring is put around the upper part of your stomach. This ring is tightened to varying degrees, in order to create a small upper pouch, with a narrow passage to the larger lower part of your stomach. This results in food taking longer to digest. Patients feel full after eating smaller meals, and go for a longer period before they feel hungry again.
Gastric Sleeve
The gastric sleeve surgery, or sleeve gastrectomy, is a minimally invasive surgery where surgeon removes about 85-90% of your stomach. This smaller stomach helps you feel full after eating less food. Patients also report feeling less hungry because there are hormonal changes associated with the gastric sleeve.
Gastric Bypass
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass is a bariatric surgery that involves the creation of a smaller stomach, and rerouting of part of the intestines. The smaller stomach makes patients feel full after eating little meals, and also leads to fewer calories being absorbed by the body.
